Liverpool’s record signing striker Alexander Isak has been hammered for his behaviour during the protracted move away from Newcastle this summer. Isak effectively went on strike, refusing to train for the Magpies, but finally completing his switch to the Premier League champions in a £125 million ($166.7m) deadline day move. And the Sweden striker’s conduct has now been called out by former Liverpool midfielder Don Hutchison.

Summer transfer saga

Isak’s move concluded a lengthy summer transfer saga which saw the striker pull out all the stops to leave Newcastle. He notably missed the club's pre-season and opening Premier League fixtures due to his efforts to secure a move, even training alone at one point. Isak subsequently accused the Magpies of "broken promises" regarding his future, a claim the club denies. Newcastle had rejected an initial £110m ($146.7) bid from Liverpool, but eventually accepted the increased offer.

AdvertisementGetty Images SportStriker’s conduct labelled ‘unprofessional’ and ‘naive’

When asked about Isak’s conduct during the transfer process, Hutchison toldonlinecasino.com: "There’s no doubt (that he’s been unprofessional). Alexander Isak should have been more professional over the summer, and he’s paying for it now. He should have seen the bigger picture. Walking away from the training camp was poor in the first place, and then when he came back to Newcastle, he should have thought two things. One, he was either going to go to Liverpool or stay at Newcastle. So either way, he needed to be match fit. He shouldn’t have been selfish and trained with Newcastle even if he knew he would force himself out. If the move didn’t happen, he’d then be match fit for Newcastle. It was unprofessional and naive not just to down tools, but to sacrifice his match fitness for whoever he was going to play for. I think he’s been managed and advised really badly by his agent all summer. It comes down to the player, ultimately. He’s under contract with Newcastle, he owes them fitness and professionalism. Bigger picture, if you end up at Liverpool you have to hit the ground running. Now he’s playing catch-up and it’s because of how he behaved."

Slow start, but promising signs for Isak

Since his arrival at Anfield, Isak has been gradually integrated into the squad due to a lack of pre-season training, with Reds boss Arne Slot carefully managing his minutes. Isak has made six appearances for his new club across all competitions, scoring one goal and registering one assist. Isak is now approaching full fitness and expressed happiness about joining Liverpool, praising the relationship between the team and the fans. Speaking ahead of Sweden's meeting with Switzerland he's been quoted by Sport Witness as saying: "Great so far. A great team and a city where the team has a good relationship with the fans. It’s been great so far."

Getty Images SportRoad to recovery, with Real Madrid on the horizon

The calendar is packed and, after the current international break ends, the Reds have fixtures against Manchester United, Eintracht Frankfurt, Brentford, Crystal Palace, Aston Villa and the hotly-awaited clash with Real Madrid in the Champions League. reporter Lewis Steele, who covers Liverpool, said in a vlog this week: "The road to full fitness is a little bit longer than expected, and there’s a report from one of the Newcastle guys, saying they expect it to be three months until he’s fully fit. And that is probably about right. He’s been at Liverpool now for four or five weeks, so maybe we are now probably another three or four weeks away from seeing Isak at his best. There have been glimpses, lovely assist on Saturday and he got his goal against Southampton, to be fair he’s got to score that, but he had to be in the right place at the right time. But, the road to full fitness does seem a bit bumpier than me or Slot predicted."